The pangolins were rescued from illegal wildlife traders in August 2016 by the northeastern Quảng Ninh Province’s Forest Management Department.

After a month of being cared at the Save Việt Nam’s Wildlife and Hà Nội Wildlife Rescue Centre, 33 healthy pangolins were sent back to the wild.

The collaboration between the government-run Hà Nội Wildlife Rescue Centre and non-governmental Save Việt Nam’s Wildlife is believed to signal new hope for the critically endangered pangolin; the most traded mammal in the world.

According to the International Union for Conservation, the species is listed as critically endangered due to high levels of hunting and poaching for its meat and scales, which is primarily driven by exports to China, though local consumption and utilisation also take place across the species’ range. — VNS